It's going to be an interesting March/April in NY 5b

So here we are in Mid February and tomorrow, Tuesday through Wednesday (Feb 20-21), we are expecting 65f & 72f respectively.

I am sure that we have met our “chill hour” requirements so now the trees are accumulating their “wake up hours” of warmth.

I dread late March to Mid April because we all know how fickle mother nature can be with the plans we make.

@alan … you being 50-60 miles South of me… what are your thoughts. ( I also need to talk to you soon. Will call)

Mike

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Your chill hrs are met for sure. Things tend to wake up fast when fully chilled. I hope this doesn’t turn into another yr with lots of spring freeze injury. Good luck…!!

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Same story in MA. Peach buds already look silverish…

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My plum trees’ flower buds are already swelling, and one tree has flowers on the verge of opening. The same thing happened last year and I lost all my plums due to late freezes. Temp here tomorrow will be near 80.

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Two days of heat before a return to more seasonable-ish weather. It’s definitely that anxious time of the fruit growing year.

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Yes, concerning esp. when Fruitnut confirmed that our trees probably have enough chill hours and are ready to wake up. Apricot is the earliest.

We are also getting the heat wave - 70-ish for two days in a row. Fortunately the sun is not going to be blazing all the time, but its still going to get things prematurely ahead of the game.

70ish? Holy smokes are warm up today/tomorrow barely sniffs 50 before returning to barely 30 weds. The extended forecast shows 38-48 highs for the next 6 weeks and lows between 15-30, perfect really…

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It is normal to have a Feb thaw, the danger is when they continue for about 5 days or more. However, I am concerned that the long term forecast suggests weather you expect 3-4 weeks later. We now have Maryland’s weather, I guess, although last year spring was late. I can never predict what the trees are going to do unless there is a weather pattern I’ve been through before. This one is different in that we haven’t had days in the 50’s- it’s been warm but not crazy warm. So far the buds aren’t swelling but by Thurs. that could change.

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@alan

Yup! Nothing to do but to try and not to damage my nail beds too much when biting my nails .

Mike

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Still solidly winter here in Northern Wisconsin. I think the subzeros are about done for a while, though. Blossoms are still a couple months away yet.

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Basically, spring is here in Kentucky. No more nights in the 'teens in the long range forecast.
(But, can’t imagine there won’t be another 20 degree night…even if it is in April…) Yes, spring really is coming early this year. But, with buds swelling in mid February, it can’t be good for fruit crops, and probably means no peach crop this year. We won’t know until April about apples or pears.
(It also means the groundhog was a liar!)

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After we get through tomorrow’s crazy warmth, it doesn’t look too bad because it’s supposed to stay in the 40’s during day and gradually get back to the low 20’s at night. Too early to tell if Spring will be early here a little upstate NY.

Yes…should be OK for you all, but you’re 5 parallel lines more north than we are…and it will be 50’s/30’s or 60’s/40’s in Kentucky through March. With 63 last night and 76 today and 65 tonight…don’t know how long things can remain dormant.

I don’t know if I should be happy or sad that it’s gonna be around -10 tonight with continued cold in the long range forecast

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We had a high of 76 today. Was out in my short sleeves.
Before it got too warm, I sprayed a plum I’d pruned this past weekend - and several newbees that went in a year ago. I hope I didn’t scalp the poor old plum too badly. I needed to take it down so that I could deal with it.
Got copper spray on my pomegranates - so hoping that will get rid of the fungus spots that showed up this past fall. I only found mention of these in one article - but if left to thrive, the fungus will supposedly kill the tree eventually.

I know that most of you all have orchards much bigger than my backyard collection . . . but for those who only have a few trees, like me - I wanted to share a review of a new sprayer that I bought this winter.
It is a Ryobi with a Lithium battery. It’s only a one-gallon sprayer - but it works great! Brass fittings. Great design. Easy to fill. Set up differently that the pump sprayers. One hour charge on the Lithium Battery lasts for (I think it said 30 sprays). I found that it covered more trees in much less time - because the solution wasn’t being wasted - as happens with the pump sprayers, as they ‘wind down’. (I hate those things . . . all that stop-and-go.) PITA.
Anyways - I thought I’d share that little tip for other small garden-ers.
Here is my ‘PoorOlePlum’. Hope it will come back with a Bang!

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Happy, you are a fruit maniac- keep those trees sleeping. I wouldn’t mind a stretch of single digit nights about now, which would be similarly seasonal as your -10.

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Ya, as far as fruit growing goes the continued cold is a good thing. However, lows in the teens and highs around 30 would be just as good “fruit wise” as lows below zero and highs in the teens.

It’s been a below normal winter here temperature wise. Sounds like that must be a rarity

Yes it was brutal cold here in late December through most of January. Had a 10 day stretch again in early feb now its looking to be 35+ during the days and teens at night, i think orchards around here are gonna have heads spinning in fruit.